Once you start down the road to TTC and have been there a while, you will get all kinds of advice along the way. The number one tidbit of wisdom is “just relax and it will happen.” Every person who says deserves a pretty swift smack.

Next up, you might try some of the more conventional recommendations- a pillow under your butt afterwards and lounging in bed to give the sperm a better chance, an Instead cup to hold it in there, recommended positions that supposedly deposit sperm closer to your cervix.

After the simple stuff doesn’t work, it’s time for research. In comes the ovulation predictor kits in bulk, special vitamins, Pre-Seed “conception-friendly lubricant”, charts, apps, etc.

Then Things Get a Little Crazy

Once you’ve tried everything else, a little bit of crazy steps in, in the form of folksy wisdom.

I tried eating pineapple core for 5 days straight to help implantation. Maybe I didn’t get a good pineapple because this was not as tasty as I had hoped. The core was all tough and tasteless.

I also read drinking a glass of red wine for a week can improve your lining. That’s one I practiced enthusiastically. My lining should have been pretty stellar after that!

I have read other people have tried various supplements, cough syrup, antihistamines, Vitex, soy, herbs, etc. A friend, who now has 3 children, called me about 10 years ago asking if I knew where to get wild African yams.

She said they were supposed to make you fertile. Maybe she was on to something?

But Nothing Worked

Obviously none of this worked for me, and now I’m turning to the marvels of modern medicine. But I have read plenty of posts with TTC advice and am wondering, what’s the craziest advice you’ve ever gotten? The worst? The best? The most annoying? If anyone is reading this, please share!

2026 Update: This was originally posted June 9, 2014. It was my first post on this blog, which was originally titled Stop Telling Me to Relax.

I took down the blog in 2026 and started a new one. I’m republishing my IVF experience post by post, because I remember how much I enjoyed reading other people’s stories when I was going through IVF.

You can read more about the relaunch on the About Page.